Motorized microscopy stages are typically controlled by lead screws that are driven by x-axis and y-axis motors that extend well beyond the footprint of the loading stage plates. This can be problematic in tight environments where there is not much space between a microscope and the stage plates, for example, or where it is desired to interact with and manipulate specimen plates relative to the stage. In addition, high speed microscopy stages often experience mechanical backlash from a motorized screw-driven or contact-based drive system, which delays positioning of the specimen relative to the microscope objective.